THE GAZA boat trip planned by a group of peace activists to end the blockade of Gaza has been delayed by a mechanical fault on one of the boats.

OVER a thousand Turkish Cypriots will cross through Limnitis today to Kokkina to mark the anniversary of the Turkish bombing raids that lifted the siege of their enclave in 1964.

In August 1964, the Turkish Air Force bombed Greek Cypriot targets around Kokkina enclave, in the most serious incident of the intercommunal troubles.

THE residents of Palodia village in the Limassol district have had their water supply restored after having had to make do with bottled water when their boreholes were found to contain excessive levels of salt.

AYIA Napa is not a den of drugs, sex and violence. There are no gang fights or daily drunken brawls. British tourists who frequent the area are not louts who attack passersby.

In fact Ayia Napa is safe. It is what it has always been: a noisy, lively, vibrant, coastal party town – popular with tourists and locals.

SHOPKEEPERS in the south east are forking out thousands of euros to monitor their supermarkets and kiosks after sudden a surge in shoplifting.

CCTV cameras, linked to computers, are becoming a common sight, with some businesses installing ‘Fort Knox’ type systems to protect their investments.

THE CYPRUS National skydiving team is taking part in the world championships in France tomorrow.

The team left for France on Tuesday, and before they left, team member Pelham Georghiades spoke to the Cyprus Mail.

Georghiades has been a member of the team for four years, and represented Cyprus last year as a member of the four-way formation skydiving team.

WOMEN in Cyprus who want to take part in a 500-mile ski trek across the Antarctic to the South Pole next year should submit their applications today, the final deadline.

Around a dozen women from Cyprus have already applied to take part in the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition in December 2009, expedition leader Felicity Aston said yesterday.

TRAFFIC offences went up by 37 per cent last year compared to the year before, with 180,000 traffic offences recorded in 2007, said acting head of Traffic Police Demetris Demetriou.

Demetriou said the increased number of traffic violations meant more cases would be going to court, adding to the huge backlog already clogging up the legal system.

THE NICOSIA Water Board yesterday announced that the water saved in the holiday week in the capital, will be granted to areas facing serious water supply problems.

A new water pipe in Paphos may not be finished on time to bring much-needed water supply to the town before the winter sets in.

Mayor of Paphos Savvas Vergas yesterday expressed his concerns following a meeting with chief of the Paphos Water Board Kyriacos Spanos.